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HeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s got soul, but heÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s not a soldier

Larry HarmanÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Iraq resolution failed in La Palma tonight (4-1).Ã‚Â I hear that the meeting was a pretty heated one, and even though Larry couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t get any support on the resolution (not even from the other Dem. on the council, Ralph Rodriguez), heÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s happy that his resolution has started a dialogue in the city of La Palma about the war.

This resolution was a topic of conversation tonight over coffee with a friend, and while we both agreed that more dialogue about the war is good, the two of us had different opinions about Ã¢â‚¬Å“inconsequentialÃ¢â‚¬Â city council resolutions.

Which one do you agree with?Ã‚Â Which one do you think is mine?

City Councils shouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t waste their time on empty resolutions.Ã‚Â What good does it do to have a council argue about, and then vote on: Ã¢â‚¬Å“Whereas the City of Cypress hereby declares that ice cream is a tasty summer treat.Ã¢â‚¬Â

City staff has better things to do than help a councilman draft, agendize, discuss, and vote on a dumb resolution that affects nothing.Ã‚Â If a council member feels strongly about an issue, she should write an editorial, not a resolution.

A resolution by a city council may not directly influence the controversial issue and its outcome, but it could start a dialogue and get more people thinking about said issue.Ã‚Â A resolution from a city could send a message to a congressperson or senator letting them know that an entire cityÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s representatives feel strongly about a larger issue.

If you think that Harman abused his city council powers when he brought forth this resolution, the way La Palma Mayor Mark Waldman has said, then you probably need to re-enroll in Civics 101.
[Orange County Register]